Lock and stay for wire fences



(No Model.)

v O. M. SUTER.

LOOK AND STAY FOR WIRE FENCES.

No. 536,488. Patented Mar. 26, 1895.

A TTORNE Y8.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC CYRUS M. SUTER, OF ASHTON, ILLINOIS.

LOCK AND STAY FOR WIRE FENCES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 536,488, dated March26, 1895.

Application filed March 7, 1394.

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CYRUS M. SUTER, of Ashton, in the county of Lee andState of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Lock and Stay forWire Fences, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to an improvementin locks and stays for wirefences; especially to that class of wire fences known as runners, andthe object of the invention is to provide a simple, durable and economicdevice, whereby the runners of the fence may be secured against verticalmovement, the said device being capable of expeditious and convenientapplication, and whereby when the device is once applied itwill remainin position under all circumstances or strain of weather, untilpurposely removed.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed outin the claims.

Referenoeis to be had to the accompanying drawings, forminga part ofthis specification, in which similar figures and letters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the Views.

Figure 1' is a front elevation of a section of wire fencing,illustrating the application of the device thereto. Fig. 2 is a.perspective view of a portion of the stay, one of the runners of thefence, and a locking plate applied thereto. Fig. 3 is a section throughthe looking plate shown in Fig. 2 and through the fence runner. Fig. 4is a perspective view of another form of locking plate, illustrating itin conjunction with a fence runner and stay. Fig. 5 is a plain view ofan unbent plate similar to that shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a plan Viewof an unbent plate similar to that shown in Fig. 4.

In carrying out the invention, a stay A is employed together with alocking plate B. The stay is virtually a link, consisting of a wire ofsuitable length to extend for example across a runner G of a fence toabout the center of the space between the next runner top and bottom,the wire being provided with an eye or loop 10 at each end and a kink orbend 11 at or near its center.

The stays or links A are connected'to form Serial No. 502,660. (Nomodel) virtually a chain, the upper link or chain at its upper end beingattached to the upper runner G of the fence, and the lower link at itslower end is attached to the lower runner C, while the intermediatelinks or stays cross the intermediate runners O of the fence, the kinkedor bent portions of the stays or links engaging with the runners, as isclearly shown in Fig. 1. Each intermediate stay or link A, is connectedwith and clamped to an intermediate fence runner 0 through the medium ofa locking plate. The locking plates may be differently constructed, andtwo forms have been illustrated in the drawings. One form B isillustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 5, Fig.5 illustrating the blank orplate instraight or unbent position, the said plate being provided with a slot12, centrally and transversely produced therein, and likewise withlongitudinal end slots 13, the end slots formingjaws at the ends of theplate. The plate is bent upon itself at its center or body portion sothat its jaws, which maybe designated as 14, and are fully illustratedin Fig. 2, will be parallel yet spaced, and the runner O is made to passthrough the slots 13 in the jaws, and to engage with the end wall ofsaid slots, which is preferably concaved, while the kink 11 in the stayA, is made to enter and to extend partially outward through ,thetransverse central slot 12 of the locking plate, as shown in Fig. 3.Under this construction it will be observed that while the stay isfirmly attached to the runner one can not possibly have vertical playupon the other.

In Figs. 3, 4 and 6 I have illustrated another form of locking plate B,the blank of which is shown in Fig. 6. This form of plate is practicallythe same as that illustrated in Fig. 5, diifering only in that thecentral opening is omitted, it being provided with end slots 15, theside walls of which slots at the outer ends are made to diverge, and theinner ends of the slots meet circular apertures 16, located one at eachside of the center of the body of the plate. This plate is bent uponitself at its central or body portion, and instead of its jaws extendingvertically, as shown in Fig. 2, the jaws are horizontally located, andthe said jaws receive between them the kinked portion 11 of the stay A,the stay likewise passing through the apertures 16 in the-plate, and theconcaved face of the kinked surface of the stay is made to oppose theclosed portion of the body of the locking plate, and the runner C ispreferably provided with a kink 17 interlocking with that in the stay.This form of plate likewise eifectually prevents the stay and runnerfrom moving one upon the other.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent v 1. A locking plate for wire fences, comprising aplate provided with longitudinal slots extending from the ends inwardlyto within ashort distance of the center of the plate, said slots formingtwo jaws at each end of the plate, substantially as hereinshown anddescribed.

2. A locking plate for wire fences, comprising a plate provided withlongitudinal slots extending out through the ends of the plate,

and forming jaws, said jaws having convex inner faces, substantially asdescribed.

3. A locking plate for wire fences, comprising a plate provided with atransverse central opening, and with a longitudinal slot on each side ofthe opening, said slots extending from the ends of the plates inwardlyto within a short distance of the said opening, substantially asdescribed.

4:. The combination with a wire fence, of a kinked stay and a lockingplate provided with a transverse central opening and with slotsextending from the ends inwardly to within a short distance of the saidopening, substantially as described.

CYRUS M. SUTER.

\Vitnesses:

OH as. A. IRELAND, A. I. NIOKEY.

